Major Tom (Coming Home Again): Hot Shot Revisits Peter Schilling's "Error in the System"

Major Tom (Coming Home Again): Hot Shot Revisits Peter Schilling’s “Error in the System”

Ground control to Major Tom…Big Break Records’ sister imprint Hot Shot Records has recently reissued Peter Schilling’s 1983 synthpop favorite Error in the System on CD in a newly expanded edition boasting a full complement of nine bonus tracks.

Error marked the first English-language album by German singer-songwriter Schilling and was, in turn, based on his German debut long-player Fehler im System of the previous year. Schilling’s sleek, New Wave-influenced sounds won him attention in West Germany when “Major Tom (Vollig Losgelost)” – a retelling of David Bowie’s 1969 classic “Space Oddity” – reached No. 1 in that country as well as in Austria and Switzerland. In France and the Netherlands, “Major Tom” reached No. 2. All of these accolades prompted Schilling’s label, WEA, to plan to break him in the United States. The artist was signed to WEA’s affiliate Elektra, and re-recorded “Major Tom (Coming Home)” and the rest of Fehler im System in English (with new lyrics provided by David Lodge and Matthew Garey). The resulting album was Error in the System.

DJ/remix guru John Luongo was tapped to remix “Major Tom” for the New Wave club market, and spurred on by this success, the single began ascending the Billboard and Cash Box charts reaching No. 14 and No. 10, respectively. It gained massive airplay on the burgeoning MTV, and made No. 1 in Canada. (Schilling has periodically revisited the song, issuing new versions in 1994, 2000 and 2003.) Error in the System peaked at a respectable No. 61 on the Billboard 200, faring even better in Canada at a No. 33 berth.

There’s more to Error than just “Major Tom,” though, including the light reggae-influenced rhythm of “Lifetime Guarantee,” the jagged rock of “Let’s Play (U.S.A.)” and a wholly reinvented cover of the traditional holiday hymn “Silent Night” that’s almost unrecognizable. The album showcases Schilling’s easy gifts for a pop hook, complemented by his then-contemporary production with co-writer Armin Sabol. Hot Shot has expanded Error with nine bonus cuts including Luongo’s 12-inch remix and an instrumental version of “Major Tom (Coming Home)” plus a number of the original German versions such as “Major Tom (Vollig Losgelost).”

Stephen “SPAZ” Schnee has written the new liner notes for this edition remastered by Nick Robbins. It’s handsomely housed in a Super Jewel Box in Big Break/Hot Shot’s tradition. There’s no Error; this deluxe, expanded reissue is ripe for rediscovery. You can order at the links below!

Peter Schilling, Error in the System (Elektra LP 9-60265-1, 1983 – reissued Hot Shot Records WHSR015, 2016) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Only Dreams
Lifetime Guarantee
The Noah Plan
Error in the System
Major Tom (Coming Home)
Major Tom (Part 2)
Let’s Play (U.S.A.)
I Have No Desire
Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht (Silent Night, Holy Night)
Major Tom (Coming Home) (12-Inch Special Extended Version)
Die Wuste Lebt (12-Inch Remix)
Fehler im System
Fast Alles Konstruiert
…Dann Trugt Der Schein
Ich Hab Keine Lust
S.A.
Major Tom (Vollig Losgelost)
Major Tom (Coming Home) (Instrumental Version)

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Peter Schilling

Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song and beyond, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with labels including Real Gone Music and Cherry Red Records, has released newly-curated collections produced and annotated by Joe from iconic artists such as Dionne Warwick, Diana Ross and The Supremes, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, The Spinners, Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Meat Loaf, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Liza Minnelli, Darlene Love, Al Stewart, Michael Nesmith, and many others.

Joe has written liner notes, produced, or contributed to over 200 reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them America, JD Souther, Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, BJ Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, Petula Clark, Robert Goulet, and Andy Williams.

Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray.

Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.

1 thought on “Major Tom (Coming Home Again): Hot Shot Revisits Peter Schilling’s “Error in the System””

Galley
August 19, 2016 at 10:03 pm

It doesn’t seem to include both the American and the German album (in its original running order), like the Wounded Bird reissue, but does include some remixes.

Tracklist
Error In The System
1 Only Dreams 3:26
2 Lifetime Guarantee 6:47
3 The Noah Plan 4:22
4 Error In The System 3:35
5 Major Tom (Coming Home) 4:59
6 Major Tom, Part II 3:45
7 (Let’s Play) U.S.A. 3:19
8 I Have No Desire 3:30
9 Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht (Silent Night, Holy Night) 3:31
Fehler Im System
10 …Dann Trügt Der Schein 3:26
11 Fast Alles Konstruiert 6:48
12 Die Wüste Lebt 4:56
13 Fehler Im System 3:30
14 Major Tom (Völlig Losgelöst) 5:03
15 Major Tom 3:45
16 U.S.A. 3:21
17 Ich Hab’ Keine Lust 3:31
18 Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht 3:30

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